San Jose to host 5,000 visitors for mobile conference

Next Friday and Saturday, San Jose will host the U.S. debut of the Global Mobile Internet Conference, drawing 5,000 visitors to the city, according to an event announcement Thursday made by Team San Jose.

The event, which is usually hosted in Asia, will take place this year on Oct. 19-20 at the San Jose Convention Center, which is managed by the nonprofit group Team San Jose. The conference will host mobile business leaders, investors and developers from 20 countries to discuss the global mobile market.

Between an anticipated 600 hotel rooms, spending on food, shopping, transportation and other attractions for conference attendees, Team San Jose estimates the event will generate about $430,000 in visitor spending.

“San Jose leads the nation in patent generation, and its companies are world-famous for technological innovation,” said Team San Jose CEO Bill Sherry. “As a result, San Jose is a perfect location to host the first-ever U.S. show to bring together influential and visionary experts in the mobile space.”

Team San Jose is also continuing an expansion project at the convention center, which should be completed by next fall.